Student Spotlight: Alejandro Villa
The work doesn’t stop after graduation – BLCI alum Alejandro “Alex” Villa knows this better than most.
At eighteen, Alex balances a full course-load at City College while working full-time at GEICO.
His sights are set on a four-year university, and he knows he’ll get there. Still, coming home after twelve-and-sixteen-hour days, he worried he might lose sight of his goals – to study politics, to run for office, to work for change in the community where he grew up.
So winning the Tariq Khamisa Foundation's Annual Gandhi Nonviolence Award was not just a reward, he says, but an affirmation.
“It reminded me not to get too caught up in the present,” says Alex. “It reminded me that I’m going somewhere, that I’ll get to do the things I want to do.”
The awards honor San Diego County individuals and organizations that “promote, inspire or help build a culture of peacemakers and make San Diego a more peaceful and harmonious community for all.”
Alex, honored for his work as a student leader and political activist, won in the Youth – Male category. He received a $500 scholarship.
But the highlight of the evening was meeting Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi.
As Dr. Gandhi spoke of his grandfather’s life and message, Alex says, all thoughts of stress melted away.
“You’re hearing firsthand about this man that changed the world,” Alex says. “That was pretty incredible. That put things in perspective.”
Alex's TKF Introduction:
Growing up in San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood, Alex Villa is no stranger to violence. But he determined early that he would be no part of it.
In high school, Villa began working with San Diego City Councilmember Ben Hueso in bilingual door-to-door outreach campaigns, encouraging his neighbors to vote and to get involved in community issues.
In March, Villa acted as host for a school-wide forum for students and staff on immigration issues. See story in La Prensa
Alex Villa truly believes in the power of words to stop ignorance and violence. He plans to continue his political activism with the goal of bringing peace to the Barrio Logan community.